1980
by PiecesOfCait
Summary: Everybody's favourite werewolf is being forced in to a Ministry-arranged marriage. RLxOC
1. Of Beasts and Betrothal

**Chapter 1: Of Beasts And Betrothal**

April 15, 1980

_**New Werewolf Legislation Sees Britain's Beasts Betrothed**__  
by Pearce Nichols  
Minister for Magic Millicent Bagnold spoke last night of a recently accepted change to the Anti-Werewolf Legislation Act.  
"We are all aware of how dangerous [werewolves] are," Ms Bagnold addressed the crowd, "and this new law aims to cut their interference with non-cursed folk to a minimum."  
She is, of course, referring to the law that was accepted by the Wizenmagot after several hours of deliberation yesterday, stating that all registered werewolves currently residing in Britain are to be matched by a Ministry-appointed official to a compatible mate, and the pair will then marry.  
This mass betrothal is set to start today, with hopes to have the weddings finalised by August.  
"I for one think it's a great idea," Wizenmagot member Bernadette Dresden states, "If they're married to each other then they can't marry people like us."  
No werewolves were willing to make a statement at the time of printing._

Remus Lupin, a sandy-haired, tall, young man, hadn't realised how tight his grip on _The Daily Prophet _had become.

His three closest friends stood behind him as he read and re-read the article.  
_  
_Sirius Black had his wand gripped tightly in his right hand, his grey eyes nearly burning a hole in the godforsaken newspaper.  
He could feel the hot, bubbling anger inside of him reach past his stomach and in to his ribs.

James Potter, the dark-haired, glasses-wearing, surprisingly-quite-mature-when-he-had-to-be member of the group tore his glare away from the print, instead looking to Remus, concerned.

And little Peter Pettigrew, who was mousy and much shorter than the rest, tapped nervously at the table with his constantly-moving fingers.

"This... this is bad." James finally broke the edgy silence that had enveloped the group.

"No shit, Prongs." Sirius' voice was low, a slight tremor in his pitch gave away his anger in a heart-beat.

"But it's not the worst thing that could happen." James continued, eyeing Sirius in a silent plea that he wouldn't say anything to further upset Remus.

"How?" Peter asked, pausing in his table-tapping for James' answer.

"Well, it's not like they're sending Moons off to Azkaban." James knew it was a weak response, but he was always a fan of silver-lining.

"Well praise Merlin." Sirius frowned.  
Unlike James, Sirius knew that clouds were grey, not silver. And grey meant storms.  
Sirius hated storms.

"I'll bet you anything this has to do with Mulciber's promotion to head of Magical Creatures." James thought aloud.

"You think Death Eaters had a hand in this?" Sirius' grip on his wand tightened, and his eyes flew to the angry grey sky visible through Lupin's kitchen window. Just fucking great.

At the mention of Death Eaters, Peter's eyes gaped and his eyebrows shot up in to his hairline.  
"Why would Death Eaters want werwolves marrying other werewolves?"

"Stumps me." James shot back, leaning against Remus' sink, "It just doesn't sit right-"

James was cut off as Sirius yanked him forward, just in time for an official looking owl to swoop gracefully through the window.

The bird landed on the table in front of Remus, who numbly lowered the newspaper and stared blankly in to the expecting eyes of the barn owl.  
Sure enough, there was a Ministry-sealed envelope attached to it's leg.

As soon as it's letter was safely sitting in the shaking hands of Remus, the bird took flight and was gone.

The three other men watched on, holding their breath.

Lupin's fingers fumbled as he slowly un-peeled the envelope edge, extracting a brief letter.

_To Mr R Lupin,_

_I am writing to inform you that you have been successfully matched with a suitable mate._

_Name: Elke Herbst_  
_Age: 17_  
_Gender: Female_

_You are to required to attend a short information session at the Ministry of Magic, in the Atrium on the Ground Floor at 9.00am, April 19._

_Congratulations on your upcoming wedding,_

_Seleena Grishop_  
_Secretary_  
_Department for Control of Magical Creatures_

Remus stared at the letter for a long time, before silently handing it to James.

"Well, where's the photo?" James queried after speed-reading the note.

"What?" Remus asked slowly, his voice somewhat crackly due to the tightness of his throat, and the fact he hadn't spoken for about half an hour.

" 'Please find a photograph of your assigned mate attached.' " James read aloud, turning the page to see if perhaps the picture was on the back.

The four boys then snapped their gazes back to the envelope now sitting facedown on Remus' table.

Raising a tentative hand, Remus slowly pulled the cream coloured card towards him, taking a deep breath before glancing inside of it.

Sure enough, there was another piece of paper inside, smaller than the letter.

He held it with shaking fingers, slowly pulling it out.

But he hesitated.  
He hadn't had a lot to do with werewolf women, but from those he had met, well. They left a lot to be desired.  
Not to say that Remus was vain or shallow.  
But the fact that he had no say in who he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with irked him.  
He hadn't ever planned on marrying _anyone_.

With one final calming breath, Remus pulled the photograph out in to the light.

His mouth went dry and he swallowed. Hard.

He was immediately caught by her eyes. They were a light, icy blue, which stood out starkly in contrast to her dark eyelashes.  
Her hair was black and straight, pinned back out of her face.  
She was thin. Very thin. Probably too thin.  
The singlet she was wearing in the photograph showed a vicious, angry red scar that enveloped her left shoulder.  
Her bite.  
It looked recent. It had barely healed over.  
His eyes trailed back up to hers.

"Moony?" Sirius broke the silence, eager to see the photo.

Remus looked up at his friends for a moment, before placing the photograph of the girl – his fiancee – on the table for all to see.

Sirius let out a low whistle.

"Oh." Peter breathed.

"Moons." James raised his eyebrows with the hint of a grin visible on his features.

"Geez Rem," Sirius smirked, squeezing Lupin's shoulder as he leaned closer to the photo."I can only offer my congratulations."


	2. Of Werewolves and Wives

**Chapter 2 – The Future Mrs R. J. Lupin. (Of Werewolves and Wives)**

The next four days passed at an agonisingly slow pace for Remus.

His friends tried to distract him as best they could, but his mind was never far from Elke.

He wondered what her voice sounded like, what her favourite food was, what she would think of _him_.

"Moonyyyyyyyy!" Sirius whined for what must have been the eighth time that morning, "You're getting that glassy-eyed look again. Stop worrying so much!"

"Pads is right, Rem." James appeared with a plate full of pancakes, placing them in front of the pale werewolf, "Breathe. She'll love you."

"You don't know that." Remus replied quietly, glaring unblinkingly at the pancakes, the smell of which were making his stomach flip.

He was in no mood for food.

"Sure we do!" Sirius quipped, stealing the plate from Remus and taking an over-sized mouthful, "Always said you were the best of our bunch."

"It's nearly time to go." Peter piped up, pointing the groups attention to the clock that was ticking closer and closer to 9am.

"I can't-" Remus' mouth was instantly dry.

"You _can_, and you _will_." James pulled him to his feet.

"Yeah Moony, don't want to leave the girl waiting." Sirius winked as he straightened Remus' collar.

James had leant Remus one of his suits to stop his friend fretting over what to wear.  
It sat a little short at the ankles, but otherwise it was a good fit.

"Good luck, Moony." Peter smiled. James and Sirius nodded in agreement.

"Ok." Remus whispered. With one last worried look at his friends, he turned on the spot and with a faint 'pop' he was gone.

"Four galleons says he vomits on her shoes." Sirius chuckled.

"Eight says he feints." Peter agreed.

~~~~~~~~

Remus arrived at the Ministry of Magic, and was slightly shocked at the sheer number of other werewolves gathered in the Atrium.

There must have been nearly five hundred people looking angrily around the room.

Remus thought to himself about how now would be a fantastic opportunity for the Ministry to make a noticeable dent in the lycan population, but shrugged it off as anxious paranoia.

He moved closer to the group, his eyes scanning the crowd for Elke.

He had her photograph tightly grasped in his left hand.

It was slightly worn at the edges from the countless times he'd fished it out of his pocket over the last few days.

As he glanced down at the pretty girl in the frame, he suddenly realised that Elke would have a photograph of _him_.

His stomach flipped and he gulped.  
Remus doubted that she would be as eager to meet her shabby husband-to-be.

What would happen if she just didn't turn up?  
He began to panic at the thought of being rejected before he'd even met the girl.

Perhaps he should have skipped his second coffee that morning.

Remus' panicked gaze scanned the crowd again, locking with a dull brown pair that he would prefer to have never seen again.

Greyback was there.

Of _course_ he was there.

An uncomfortable jolt ran along the scar in Remus' waist, reminding him of the last time he'd seen those eyes.

Greyback smirked and looked away. Scanning the crowd for more of his victims, no doubt.

Remus watched as Greyback's face broke in to an eerie grin.

Following the monster's eyeline, Remus saw her.

_Elke_.

His heart stopped it's erratic beating for a moment, then returned with a new-found force.

Her eyes flitted from face to face in the crowd, lips moving silently as she searched for him.

She wore tight black jeans and a forest-green jacket that looked to be several sizes too large for her.

In her hand was a small piece of paper, which Remus assumed was her picture of him.

Remus stood rooted to the spot. Any moment she would see him.

What would he say to her?

The girl suddenly drew her wand.

Remus managed to tear his eyes away from her to see what had triggered her sudden scowl.

Greyback had been making his way toward her, but stopped and smirked at the wand aimed at his face.

Snapping out of his trance, Remus moved closer to Elke.  
It was obvious that she didn't care for Greyback's company.

"Elke," Fenrir purred, "I was beginning to wonder if you'd be joining us."

"You would do wise to back off, Greyback." She growled.

Even from a distance, Greyback towered over her, but she held her ground.

"You sound so much like you father-"

A blue beam shot from Elke's wand, wrapping around Fenrir's face and silencing him as he clawed at it.

An ugly scowl appeared on Greyback's face as he launched himself at Elke, who flung him back with a flourish of her wand.

Fenrir jumped to his feet and snarled – yes, actually snarled.

A circle of onlookers had gathered around, intrigued by what looked like a one-sided duel.

Several Ministry officials shoved forcibly past Remus to stand between Elke and Greyback, obviously not wanting a blood-bath to break out.

"I've caught you once, little girl." Greyback jeered, his eyes flicking to the scar that was visible where her jacket had slipped off of her shoulder.

Elke didn't flinch.

"I don't make the same mistakes twice." Her voice was quiet, but held a feeling of authority that demanded attention.

Fenrir sneered at her.

"Stay away from me, Greyback." She finished, lowering her wand and returning her eyes to searching for Remus.

He pushed his way passed a few interested onlookers and she spotted him.

Those eyes took his breath away and seemed to freeze him to the spot.

She glanced down at the photo once more before walking towards him.

He noticed a slight limp in her left leg.

"You're Remus then?" She asked, her eyes flicking across his face.

"I- yes." His voice cracked slightly as he extended his hand.

She looked at it for a moment before finally shaking it.


	3. Of Laws and Lycans

**Chapter 3 – Of Laws and Lycans**

Jeremy Mulciber, newly-appointed Head of the Magical Creatures Department at the Ministry, made his way to a podium facing the horde of werewolves.

Using his wand to enhance the volume of his voice, he called the crowd to attention.

It took nearly a full minute for the room to quieten.

"Firstly," Mulciber began, his eyes flitting from face to face, "I would like to thank all of you for your punctual arrival today. I have been informed that several werewolves have failed to make an appearance this morning, and rest assured they will be punished."

Remus felt irked by the smile Mulciber wore, and with a sideways glance at Elke, he could see that it didn't sit right with her either.

"We have called you all here this morning to discuss the details of what will be taking place over the next few months regarding the recent changes to werewolf laws."

Mulciber spoke about the great deal of time that had gone in to matching people with a compatible mate, and how the wedding vows made will be unbreakable.

He '_strongly recommended_' that the new couples should take time over the next few months to get to know each other before the big day, and mentioned that refusal to abide by the new laws would see the Ministry taking your wand, coupled with a short stay in Azkaban.

As he spoke Remus felt his blood getting hotter and hotter.  
The sheer number of security officers surrounding Mulciber stopped anyone from speaking out, but glancing around the room, Remus could see that he wasn't the only one struggling to keep his temper.

Elke's jaw was set, her eyes trained on Mulciber in much the same fashion as an owl watches a particularly fat rat.

Mulciber finished his address, his grin daring anyone to ask a question. No one did.  
Werewolves might be a tough lot, but Jeremy Mulciber was not someone you wanted on your case.

Elke and Remus stood awkwardly next to each other as the crowd thinned.  
"Well," Remus spoke in a desperate attempt to end the silence that enveloped them, "That was... awful."

Elke glanced quickly at Remus' face, the hint of a smile on her features.

Her eyes flicked over Remus' shoulder and her face paled.

"Did you want to go?" She asked quickly.

"I- yes," He answered, somewhat confused, "Where?"

"Anywhere." She breathed, turning and leading the way to the fireplaces.

Remus followed close behind, turning subtly to find Greyback staring at them, wearing that downright evil grin of his.

Elke seemed flustered as she reached the grate, her eyes shot a pleading glance at Remus, who took a handful of floo powder, throwing it into the flames and saying the first address that came to mind.

The new couple gracelessly flew out of the fireplace in Remus' living room, landing in a tangled mess of limbs against the bookcase.

"Back so soon?" James' voice rang out from the kitchen.

Remus and Elke struggled awkwardly to their feet, putting a reasonable amount of distance between each other as James, Sirius and Peter froze in the doorway.

Elke glanced helplessly at Remus, who had entirely forgotten that his three closest friends were going to wait for his return.

"Right," Remus said, mostly to himself before looking to his fellow marauders, "A moment, if you'd be so kind."

The three backed out of the doorway, still stunned that Remus had brought a girl home, even if he was technically engaged to her.

"Sorry about that," Remus turned to Elke, who looked terribly uncomfortable, "I- I- I didn't think they'd still be here. It- was the first place I thought of."

"This is your house?" She asked, her voice was soft, but it easily carried over the distance between them.

"Yes."

"It's very nice."

"Thank you."

"Those are your friends?"

"Yes. The one with glasses is James, the long-haired one is Sirius, and- and the last one is Peter."

Elke nodded, picturing each of Remus' friends in turn in her mind.

"Would you like a drink? Something to eat?"

"I'm-"

"I MADE MORE PANCAKES!" James called from the kitchen.

"Shut it, Prongsy! They'll know we're listening!" Sirius hissed back.

Remus blushed at the obviousness of his friends, but Elke didn't seem to mind.

"I'm not very hungry." She told Remus.

"THEY'RE DELICIOUS!" James shouted again before Sirius resorted to a silencing charm.

"Sorry about them," Remus told Elke, "Sometimes they don't know when to butt out."

"It's ok."

The two found themselves in another awkward silence, and Remus wondered if this is what it would always be like for them.

"I should go." Elke suddenly spoke, having glanced at the clock on the mantle.

"Ok, sure." Remus moved towards the fireplace, picking up the floo-pot and offering it to her.

"I suppose I should visit again soon." She said quieter, not able to meet Remus' gaze.

Remus tried to ignore the conflicting feeling of his stomach somersaulting at the thought of seeing her again, and dropping at the tone with which she spoke of that visit.

"Yes, if- if you want to."

She took a handful of Floo powder and offered Remus a small smile, which sent a positively delightful jolt through his spine.

"I'll see you soon, Remus." Elke said as she stepped in to the green flames.

"Bye Elke." He whispered to his empty fireplace.


	4. Of Walks and Water

**Chapter 4 – Of Walks and Water**

Remus took a moment to compose himself before joining the three boys waiting eagerly in the kitchen.

"I-" He started, taking a deep breath to clear his head, "I think you're right about Mulciber, James. He looked like he was thoroughly enjoying himself today-"

"Merlin!" Sirius exclaimed.

"What?" Remus felt wrong-footed.

"Moony, Moony, Moony," James laughed, "Only _you_ could bring home a pretty girl and then want to talk about the sodding Head of Magical Creatures Department!"

"But it's important!" Remus defended, fighting his blush.

"So's Elke!" James rebutted, "And we'd rather hear about her first!"

"She- she- she- well. You all saw her." Remus began struggling with the buttons of his collar, suddenly feeling thoroughly constricted by his borrowed suit.

"For about eight seconds!" Peter laughed.

"There's- I didn't-" Remus was at a loss. He could feel his ears burning and his stomach was tying itself in knots at the thought of Elke. He couldn't put it in to words.

"Whoa there Romeo," Sirius walked forward, taking Remus by the shoulders and guiding him in to a seat, "Just tell us how it went."

"She was... duelling Greyback and then we... met." Remus had finally gotten his top three buttons undone and was breathing slightly easier, "Then Mulciber did his speech... and then we came here."

"She didn't stay long." Peter quipped. James shot him a look.

Remus licked his dry lips, "I imagine she was rather put off by three of Hogwarts' finest eavesdropping from the kitchen."

"When will you see her again?" Sirius asked, sitting at the table across from Remus.

"I- um... don't actually know." Remus looked to each of his friends, "But she said 'soon'?"

"Won't be able to keep herself away." James winked, sensing Remus' desire to not be pushed for further details, "Now, what was it you were saying about Mulciber?"

* * *

That night as Remus was dozing in his armchair he was jolted awake by a light tapping at the kitchen window.

Grasping his wand tightly, he silently made his way to the kitchen, where he spotted a large barn owl pecking away at the glass.

"Who in Merlin's name..." Remus whispered to himself as he moved to let the bird inside.

He took a deep breath in an effort to control his speeding pulse, before offering the bird a small treat in exchange for the letter it was carrying.

'_Remus,'_ it read in neat, navy ink, '_I was wondering if perhaps I could visit Wednesday afternoon?  
Please let me know if this would suit you.  
Elke.'_

Remus re-read the letter twice more, a grin spreading across his face as he did so.

"Wait just one moment." He told the owl as he rushed to find a quill and some spare parchment.

He quickly scrawled out his flooing address and was halfway through tying it to the owl's leg when he wondered if his writing was legible.

"I'll just be one second." He told the bird again, after checking the note and deciding that he could _definitely_ write neater.

After four more attempts, Remus finally had a letter he was happy with.

He spent a further six minutes wondering about the appropriate amount of time he should wait before owling back, so as not to seem desperate, before writing himself off as insane and returning to the kitchen window.

The owl, now dozing on the windowsill, hooted softly as the letter was tied to its leg.

"Sorry about the wait." Remus grinned, offering the bird another treat, "Take this back to Elke for me, would you?"

Another hoot and the owl was off.

Remus watched it until it was lost amongst the stars.

The thin crescent of the moon caught his eye and made his scar itch.

He closed the window and made his way to bed.

* * *

"Afternoon. … Hi Elke, nice day, isn't it? … Hey … Elke! You look lovely today! … What's up?"  
Remus found himself practicing his greetings in front of the mirror over the coming days.

He tried emphasising different words, using different pitches, talking like Sirius, but nothing seemed to feel right.

"Stop. Being. So. Awkward." He growled to himself Tuesday afternoon.

"Hi James. Hi Sirius. Hi Peter. Hi _Elke_." He sighed, as again it sounded wrong.

"Nervous?" Came a voice from his doorway.

Remus spun and shot a disarming jinx at the intruder, only to find James looking mildly impressed back at him.

"Nice shot." James walked forward to retrieve his wand from Remus.

"James? What- when did you get here?"

"About four minutes ago."

Remus went scarlet, "You- did you-?"

"See you talking to yourself in the mirror? Yep."

"Ungh!" Remus sat on the edge of his bed, his face sinking into his hands.

"You're thinking about this too much, Moons." James took a seat next to him.

"I makes me feel sick thinking about her." Remus replied, dropping on to his back, his face still covered.

"Now come on, surely she's not _that_ bad!" James joked.

Remus deadpanned, shifting his hands to send James a 'thats-not-what-I'm-talking-about-and-you-know-it- you-prat' look.

"Stop stressing!" James laughed, shoving Remus lightly, "Even if you make a complete fool of yourself, she's still got to marry you."

"Too soon."

"Thought I was pushing it with that one. Anyway, I came over to see what you're doing for dinner. Lily has a roast on if you're keen to join us? I think she's sick of only having me for company."

"Well if you'd stop imitating her walk-"

"I agreed to be a committed husband and father. I never said I wouldn't strive to perfect an impression of her pregnant waddle."

"Poor Lily."

"I'm pretty sure I've actually nailed it. You'll have to be the judge."

"I don't know why she puts up with you."

"I imperiused her years ago. Now come on, I'm hungry."

* * *

Wednesday Remus barely left his living room.

Elke hadn't specified a time, and he dreaded the thought of not being there to greet her with his perfected greeting (small smile, 'Hi, good to see you.', offer to take her coat, don't stutter.)

He tried to read while he waited, but it was difficult when his eyes kept flicking to the fireplace.

Midday came and went.

As did one o'clock.

Two o'clock.

Three o'clock.

By four o'clock Remus had dozed off in his chair. The green flare of the fire didn't wake him. Nor did the gentle 'Remus?'.

It wasn't until Elke touched his forearm that Remus sprang to life and flung his book at her.

"Hi! What's good? You are! Coats?" Remus' long limbs looked comical as they flailed about in his attempts to scramble to his feet.

Elke suppressed a laugh as she handed Remus' book back to him.

"Shit." Remus was glowing red, "Sorry- I- Fuuuaaarrr out."

"No, I'm sorry." Elke replied, appearing not too phased by her odd welcome, "I meant to be here earlier."

Remus tried desperately to respond, but he'd made the fatal error of looking at her eyes, and his tongue tied itself in knots.

"Do you want to go for a walk or something?" Elke offered.

"I- Yes. A walk would be wonderful."

Remus grabbed his coat and scarf as he led Elke to his doorway.

"How- How have you been?" Remus asked, opening his gate to let Elke onto the path.

"Can't complain I suppose." She shrugged, "You?"

"Yeah. Good."

"Which way should we go?" Elke asked as they neared a t-junction.

"That depends," Remus replied, "Do you prefer trees or water?"

"Water." She replied without a moments hesitation.

"Left it is then."

They walked for a few minutes before Remus showed Elke a faint path through some trees which led to a lake.

"Wow." Elke breathed.

The low-lying clouds were reflected in the near-glasslike surface of the water, showing the reds and purples of the dying sunshine.

"There's a jetty around there by those logs." Remus pointed out, "Do you want to-"

"Yeah." Elke started walking, she turned back "Are you coming?"

Remus caught himself appreciating how the sun seemed to make her glow before following after her with an "Of course."

They reached the jetty and without hesitation Elke walked out the end of it.

Remus walked slower along the jetty, not as trusting of its rotting wooden beams.

"It's so flat." Elke said as Remus reached the end.

He looked down at his and Elke's reflections. She was right. It was like standing on a mirror.

"It makes me feel dizzy." Remus replied.

"Like if you fell, you'd fall forever."

"Yeah."

The sun slunk lower and lower past the horizon, and Remus soon found himself aware that it was getting quite dark.

He looked at Elke. She was entirely focussed on the centre of the lake.

Following her gaze, Remus saw the pale, floating crescent of the moon gently swaying on the surface of the water.

"We should get back to the house." He said.

Elke snapped her gaze to him, as though waking from a trance.

"It's getting dark."

She nodded. Glancing up at the moon in the sky before turning and walking back to the grass.

They didn't speak until they'd made it through the path in the trees.

"Does it-" Elke asked, before stopping herself and looking forward.

"Sorry?" Remus questioned.

"Nothing. It doesn't matter."

They made it back to Remus' front door after another bout of silence.

"Well, I suppose I should get going." Elke's voice seemed distant.

Remus frowned. He thought they'd had a nice time together.

"Sure."

"I had a great evening, Remus." Elke locked eyes with him for a moment, "Next time I'll aim to be earlier."

Remus could do nothing but try and fight the grin that was threatening to engulf the lower half of his face.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight Elke."

Elke disapperated and Remus made his way slowly to his front door, searching his coat pockets for his keys.

"Well aren't you two cute?"

Remus snapped his head around so fast that he felt a nerve pinch in the side of his neck.

"Sirius!" He breathed, "What in Merlin's name possessed you to sneak up on me like that?"

Sirius shrugged, smirking. Remus continued the hunt for his keys.

"Snog her?" Sirius asked, leaning against one of the patio support beams.

"Snog wha- No!" Remus fought the burning in his ears that came with the idea of snogging Elke.

"Why not? I would-"

"Don't." Remus froze in his key search, again snapping his head to look at Sirius.

Sirius looked confused, and a little apprehensive. Remus wasn't the type to get snappy.  
Remus' mouth was dry, and he fought to keep his imagination from picturing Sirius snogging Elke.

"I wouldn't," Sirius explained after a good minute and a half of tense silence,"I just... meant- She's pretty Moons. I just meant that she's pretty."


End file.
